The inventor of the present invention has developed a process for separating water from a water and hydrocarbon or a halogenated hydrocarbon mixture, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,081 to Taylor, issued Aug. 15, 1989. In accordance with the process, water, is efficiently and effectively separated from a mixture of water with hydrocarbons and/or halogenated hydrocarbons. The water separated from the hydrocarbons and/or halogenated hydrocarbons can contain trace levels of organic and inorganic substances soluble in the water which can impart objectionable odor, taste or toxicity to the water. In other situations, ground water may contain such trace contaminates. There are additionally a variety of water purification methods available that are capable of removing organic and inorganic contaminates from water, such as reverse osmosis, ion exchange resins, ultrafiltration membranes, activated carbon, distillation, and others which leave such trace contaminates in the treated water.
It is desirable to utilize applicant's inventive process of separating water from water mixed with hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons and further to have the specific capability for the removal of such inorganic substances as hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen cyanide, and other substances such methanol, ethanol, and other inorganic and organic compounds that may permeate the nonporous membrane disclosed in applicant's copending application, even in extremely low concentration. In other words, applicant has provided a process for separating a water and water soluble substance permeate from a mixture of water with halogenated hydrocarbon and hydrocarbons. It is now desirable to be able to remove those trace amounts of water soluble organic or inorganic substances from the water permeate.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,087 to applicant and assigned to the assignee of the present invention discloses a fuel delivery system which separates by cross flow separation a substantially water and particle free fuel permeate flow from a fuel retentate flow. The invention specifically uses a tangential flow separator comprising a module containing a plurality of hollow hydrophobic microporous membrane fibers contained as a bundle within a polyurethane tube sheet. The module receives a flow of diesel fuel from a fuel tank, the diesel fuel containing water and water soluble substances therein. The module separates through a cross flow semipermeable membrane a substantially water and particle free fuel permeate from the drawn fuel retentate flow. Thusly, this system provides a means of delivering bone dry fuel to a fuel tank by utilizing a semipermeable membrane. The invention relates to the drying of hydrocarbons but does not relate to the decontamination of water per se.